Lib Dems Really Not Very Sure About This Government Business

By Iain Martin

Reuters

Nick Clegg looks super confident, as though he is enjoying himself immensely. And why wouldn’t he be? When he said that he didn’t want his party to be merely a protest vehicle, he meant it. One weird general election and some artful coalition negotiations later and he is in government, as deputy prime minister.

In any other party, all that would have earned Clegg a hero’s reception from his own conference. But this isn’t any other party. It’s the Liberal Democrats.

So they seemed a bit bemused during his speech, applauding politely and only really getting into it when he threw them some left-wing read meat (such as his “daring” attack on bankers).

It was actually a rather nicely constructed effort, not too long and with a sprinkling of jokes. It really came to life when he cut and slashed at Labour.

But for a speech to take flight, the audience’s heart needs to be in it. The mood is not one of rebellion. They hope he knows what he’s doing, but look as though they fear it could end horribly — for them, and for him.